00:25:33 - 00:27:56 Lab Work

00:25:33

LB

Ok. So, the question then was, did you have a typical day while you were working here? I guess early on in your career, or then after you came back from Maryland. Or was every day different for you? Mostly writing, or mostly in the lab?

RM

I would, well, it was a little of both. I mean, I remember spending a lot of the first summer, I mean, I was mostly in the lab working, measuring cell wall thickness of Redwood with Diana Smith, on the dual-linear measuring micrometer. In fact, for two summers I did that. The second summer I spent more time doing data analysis and also writing. But, yeah, I guess. And then the third summer I was, started a new project and, yeah this whole new thing looking at, I mean, the wood anatomy. In fact, actually what I was looking at is surveying the family, Lauraceae, for presence or absence of silica in each one of the specimens in the Madison collection. So, so I don't know, a typical---is that what you were after, a typical day?

LB

Yeah, a typical day.

RM

Well, back in the, first of all, back in the day, the work day was eight to five, an hour for lunch. And there were none of this stuff they have now, which is, you know, you never know, I mean, flexi-time and maxi-flex, and you don't have to be here, and work at home, and work at work, and not work. I mean, it was, it was pretty much eight to noon and then one to five, and then you had a break in the morning and a break in the afternoon. And for the most part everybody left their office for a fifteen-minute break and went downstairs, bought a cup of coffee, stood around and, and chatted a bit, and then went back to work. You don't see that at all today, or very rarely, do you see that. I, that, that whole aspect changed.

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